STONEWALL AND THE RAINBOW PROJECT LAUNCH WORKPLACE PARTNERSHIP

Charities join forces to support LGBT-inclusive employers

Diversity Champions programme to be extended in Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland’s top LGBT employer to be named by 2019

Two leading LGBT charities – The Rainbow Project and Stonewall - are joining forces to support LGBT-inclusive employers in Northern Ireland.

The partnership, announced today (Thursday 26 October), builds on an employers’ programme established five years ago by The Rainbow Project.

With support from Stonewall, this work will be extended and strengthened, with the number of employers working on the programme in Northern Ireland set to increase from 10 to 40 in the first year.

A new staff post has been created to deliver this work and, once appointed, they will be based in The Rainbow Project’s Belfast office.

This exciting new role will be supported by Stonewall’s Membership Team in London, Cardiff and Edinburgh, and will bring together skills and expertise developed across all four nations. They will deliver seminars, networking opportunities and foster relations between organisations across Northern Ireland so they can share best practice and offer each other peer support.

Stonewall workplace resources will also be adapted to reflect the legal situation and the unique issues affecting LGBT people in Northern Ireland.

Stonewall currently works with more than 750 employers, from local governments to multi-national organisations, helping them to create workplaces where everyone can be themselves.

Every year Stonewall reveals the top employer when it releases its Stonewall Workplace Equality Index Top 100. This benchmarking tool assesses how inclusive an employer is of LGBT people, investigating everything from policy and training, to the well-being of LGBT staff members.

By 2019, Stonewall and The Rainbow Project will be able to name Northern Ireland’s top LGBT inclusive employer.

Ruth Hunt, Chief Executive of Stonewall, said: ‘By combining our resources, expertise and reach, Stonewall and The Rainbow Project can help transform the lives of many more LGBT people in Northern Ireland.

‘Employers want to get the best out of their staff and we know that people perform better when they can be themselves.

‘This partnership enables us to share the expertise and skills we have developed over the past decade, and to better understand how we can support LGBT movements in places where the law is different.’

John O’Doherty, Director of The Rainbow Project, said: ‘We’re thrilled to be building on our relationship and extending this into a formal partnership. We know that many employers are keen to make their workplaces welcoming of all lesbian, gay, bi and trans staff.

‘Now that we’re working with Stonewall, we can make that work happen faster and dramatically increase the pace of change for LGBT people in Northern Ireland.’

The Rainbow Project is a leading charity for lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans equality in Northern Ireland working to create a society free from homophobia, bi-phobia and transphobia where everyone is treated as equal.

It was founded in 1994 by a group of volunteers in response to the HIV and Aids crisis in Northern Ireland. Today The Rainbow Project is Northern Ireland’s largest LGBT support and advocacy organisation providing a range of services to and campaigning on behalf of the community.

Stonewall is the leading charity for lesbian, gay, bi and trans equality, working to create a world where every single person can be accepted without exception.

It was founded in 1989 by a small group of people who wanted to break down barriers to equality. Stonewall continues to campaign and lobby government to change laws to ensure everyone, everywhere, is free to be themselves.

Stonewall works in partnership with a growing network of more than 700 organisations to help create real change for the better. It campaigns to eliminate homophobia, biphobia and transphobia in communities, and empowers LGBT people and their allies to be role models wherever they live, work, shop, socialise or pray.

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The Rainbow Project’s staff team are responsible for the operational delivery of the The Rainbow Projects services and advocacy work. Our dedicated team work hard to meet the needs of LGB&/T people and their families in Northern Ireland. Meet the team below.

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The Rainbow Project is devoted to promoting the health and well-being of lesbian, gay, bisexual and/or transgender people and their families in Northern Ireland, as well as those questioning their orientation or gender, through partnership, advocacy and the development and delivery of appropriate support services.

The Rainbow Project provides the only LGB&/T specific counselling service in Northern Ireland. Counselling offers an opportunity to talk in confidence about challenges, losses, problems or issues that concern you.

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The Rainbow Project couldn’t carry out its work without the help of our amazing team of volunteers. We have a strong volunteering ethos and seek to create opportunities for people to contribute to our overall organisational aims and objectives.

The Rainbow Project has today published 65 letters received from LGBT people from across Northern Ireland and from individuals who no longer live in Northern Ireland in response to its #DearArlene campaign. Here are some of the responses.